Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr — The Night of Power: The Most Sacred Night in the Islamic Year

لَيلَةُ القَدرِ — أَشرَفُ لَيَالِي السَّنَةِ وَنُزُولُ القُرآنِ الكَرِيم

2 min read · 317 words

Laylat al-Qadr (لَيلَةُ القَدر — Night of Power/Decree/Destiny, from *q-d-r* meaning to measure/decree/have power over — the night when the Quran was revealed and divine decrees are set for the coming year) is declared in Surah 97 (al-Qadr) as: *'Laylat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months; the angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord — for every matter. Peace it is, until the emergence of dawn.'* (97:3-5) The Quran was sent down on Laylat al-Qadr as a whole from the Preserved Tablet (*al-Lawh al-Mahfuz*) to the lowest heaven, then revealed to the Prophet over 23 years. Its date: within the last ten nights of Ramadan — the odd nights specifically (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th), with the 27th most widely observed in Sunni tradition. The Prophet said: *'Seek Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.'* (Bukhari) The night is characterized by *sakina* (tranquility), intense spiritual presence, and the tradition that du'a is especially accepted. Ismaili ta'wil: the Laylat al-Qadr corresponds to the Imam's existence in every era — just as the divine decrees descend through that night, the divine knowledge descends through the Imam's walayah. The Imam is the living Laylat al-Qadr of each generation.

The Quranic Account

Surah al-Qadr (97): One of the shortest surahs, yet one of the most theologically dense. The qadr has three meanings active simultaneously: power (the night when divine power is most manifest), measure (the night when the Quran — the measure of all things — was revealed), and destiny (the night when annual divine decrees are determined). The alf shahr (thousand months) is approximately 83 years — the night is worth more than a full lifetime of worship.

The descent of the angels: The Quran describes angels and the Ruh (spirit) descending in this night by Allah’s permission — li kulli amr (for every matter). This suggests a night of extraordinary spiritual activity, divine presence, and responsive openness between heaven and earth.

The Night of Revelation

The Quran’s two-stage revelation: The descent of the Quran to the lowest heaven on Laylat al-Qadr (inzal) preceded the gradual revelation to the Prophet over 23 years (tanzil). This two-stage revelation is theologically significant: the Quran exists as a complete, unified revelation before it enters human time. Laylat al-Qadr is the moment when the eternal Word of Allah enters the temporal order.

See also: Why The Quran, Nubuwwa, Al Aql, Fayd, Al Amr

Ismaili Ta’wil of Laylat al-Qadr

The Imam as the living Laylat al-Qadr: In Ismaili ta’wil, the cosmic function of Laylat al-Qadr — the night through which divine knowledge and decrees descend into the world — is mapped onto the Imam’s function in every era. The Imam is the permanent, living conduit through whom divine knowledge (ta’wil, ilm al-batin) descends to the community. The nuzul al-mala’ika (descent of angels) corresponds to the descent of divine guidance through the hudud al-dawat.

Laylat al-Qadr — The Night of Power: The Most Sacred Night in the Islamic Year

The Quranic Account

The Night of Revelation

Ismaili Ta’wil of Laylat al-Qadr

More in Ta'wil & Theology